Trade policy review mechanism
Communication from the Chairperson of the
Trade Policy Review Body
HONG KONG, CHINA
Arrangements
for Review Meeting
1._
In pursuance of Article IV,
paragraph 4 and Annex 3 of the WTO Agreement, a meeting of the Trade
Policy Review Body is scheduled for 6 and 8 December 2023 to conduct the ninth review
of the trade policies and practices of Hong Kong, China (WTO/AIR/TPR/152).
2._ This communication sets out
arrangements concerning the review meeting. In this connection, attention is
also drawn to the procedures for the conduct of reviews contained in the rules
of procedure of the Trade Policy Review Body (WT/TPR/6/Rev.4).
3._ Members' attention is drawn to the use of the
"alternative" time‑frame by Hong Kong, China for submission of written questions and responses.
1 Questions in writing in advance of the meeting AND MAIN POINTS
4._ Members wishing to submit
written questions to the Member under review should do so at least five weeks
before the review meeting to allow replies to be submitted one week prior to the
first session of the meeting. For the
forthcoming review, such questions should therefore be with the Trade Policies
Review Division of the Secretariat (tprd@wto.org) by 5.30 p.m.,
on Wednesday, 1 November 2023, at the latest. Advance
written questions should reach the Secretariat no later than the day before the
start of the meeting, by 2.00 p.m. at the latest to allow time for the
Secretariat to process them. Questions sent on the day of the meeting will be
processed after the end of the first session of the meeting. Delegations are informed that Hong Kong, China has opted for the traditional way of handling questions and
answers.
5._ In accordance with the rules of
procedure of the TPRB (WT/TPR/6/Rev.4, paragraph 17), Members are
reminded that they should group their written questions into the following
three categories so as to facilitate responses: those related to the
Secretariat report (with a reference to relevant paragraph numbers); those
concerning the Government report (with a reference to relevant paragraph
numbers); and other questions.
6._ The Secretariat shall identify the
main points contained in the questions submitted at least five weeks
before a review meeting, post them on the Members' Website one week before the
meeting, and distribute a revised list of main points during the first session
of a review when questions received after the five-week deadline give rise to
significantly new issues. The main points may be found on the Members' Website
under "Forthcoming Meetings: Documents for Meetings".
2 Answers in writing by the MEMBEr under review
7._
Answers by the
Member under review should be distributed in writing. Advance
questions submitted by the five‑week deadline before the start of the TPRB
review date should be answered in writing by the Member under review one week
prior to the start of the meeting (29 November 2023). Written answers
will be made available on the Members' website four working days prior to the
meeting (30 November 2023). Questions posed subsequently should be answered, to the extent
possible, before the start of the second session of the meeting. Questions left
unanswered at the end of the second session should be answered in writing no
later than one month after the meeting with some latitude in the Chair's
discretion for Members reviewing a very large number of questions.
8._ In the course of the discussions at
the review meeting, the Member under review may indicate that it intends to
provide supplementary information, in writing, on specific points raised. Upon
receipt, the Secretariat will circulate a document containing this information
to all Members.
3 Discussant
9._
In consultation with the Member under review, the Chairperson of the
Trade Policy Review Body may choose a discussant who, in his personal capacity,
will introduce the discussions in the Body. Mr. Pedro BRAVO (Peru) will act as discussant for the review of Hong Kong, China.
4 Structure of the meeting
10._ Trade policy reviews cover four
broad headings:
a._
appreciation of
the full range of the Member's trade policies and practices;
b._
relevant
background: wider economic and developmental needs, including the external
environment;
c._
impact of the
Member's trade policies and practices on the functioning of the multilateral
trading system; and
d._
general comments
by way of assessment and evaluation.
11._
Meetings take
place in two sessions. The first session is devoted to the opening
statements by the Member under review and the discussant, and remarks and
questions from the floor. The discussion in the second session, when the
Member under review will reply to questions, is based on main themes identified
after the opening meeting by the Chairperson, the discussant and the
Secretariat in consultation with the Member.
12._ As indicated in the rules of procedure for TPRB meetings (WT/TPR/6/Rev.4, paragraph 21), the
speakers' list will follow the order in which questions are received by the
Secretariat and in the event of more than one batch, the final batch will
determine the order of speakers. Delegations not submitting written questions
will continue to speak second, in the order in which their flags are raised. On
the day before each review meeting, the Secretariat will post on the WTO Members' website
a provisional list of speakers for the first session of that meeting, for
Members' advance information.
5 Documentation and press arrangements
13._ Reports by the Member under review
and the Secretariat are contained in the following documents:
WT/TPR/G/450 Report by Hong Kong, China
WT/TPR/S/450 Hong Kong, China: Report by the Secretariat
14._ The press embargo for the review of
Hong Kong, China will end at 2.00 p.m. Geneva time on 6 December 2023.
6 RECORD OF THE MEETING
15._ The record of the meeting will be
circulated as a draft to Members for comments on their own statements and
placed on the WTO website.